TANTALIZING Tables

LEARN HOW A SOUTHERN HOSTESS CRAFTS EXTRAORDINARY AND MEMORABLE TABLESCAPES FOR EVERY HOLIDAY GATHERING.

- Lauren Hofer

Whether you’re throwing a festive holiday dinner party for a few friends or hosting an entire family gathering on Christmas day, a memorable holiday starts with time spent around the dinner table. For author and blogger Courtney Whitmore, a stylist who specializes in creating magical tablescapes for all occasions, this is the place to make your mark as a hostess during the holidays. “Guests feel like you took the time to take it up a notch and make it memorable,” she says.

GETTING STARTED

Years ago Courtney began hosting friends and family for dinner parties simply because she loved doing it. Then she took the step of starting a blog to document her work, and everything fell into place as Courtney began to build a styling career. “I never dreamed this would be a full-time job, but it lets me do what I love,” she says.

Her fifth book, The Southern Entertainer’s Cookbook: Heirloom Recipes for Modern Gatherings, came out earlier this year. “I worked with my mom on this book,” Courtney says. “She and I took all of our recipes and a few new favorites and converted them into modern recipes that are perfect for entertaining.” Food isn’t the only passion that Courtney got from her mom. “I grew up watching my mom set tables and throw parties,” she says, and since then, her love of tablescape creation and design has only grown.